


Lessons Learned

by bookworm03



Series: Tumblr Fic [4]
Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2016-01-01
Packaged: 2018-05-10 21:59:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5602555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookworm03/pseuds/bookworm03
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt from c00kie: AU where Leslie goes to visit Ben when he becomes Mayor of Partridge and sexy times ensue. Please and thank you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lessons Learned

**Author's Note:**

> I posted this on tumblr a few days ago, but it's very long so I thought it might be better off here. Because it got away from me.

 

“Mr. Wyatt?” his secretary - yes, he, Benji Wyatt, has a secretary, because he’s the _mayor_ of Partridge and has been for two whole weeks - calls.

And it’s pretty great. He has no problem eating at whatever restaurant he wants to, Cindy Eckhert is totally regretting not going to prom with him and his parents aren’t fighting, for once. They’re strutting around town smiling at other people and exchanging at least fifty percent fewer barbs. Steph keeps recounting his inauguration to everyone in her homeroom class and even _Henry_ is impressed. He came home from Northwestern for the ceremony and clasped Ben on the shoulder, with a little sideways smirk, and said “this is fucking insane, but good job, bro”.

And he’s kind of killing it, if he does say so himself. First of all, everyone’s crazy excited about Ice Town because uh, they’re in Minnesota and _hockey, anyone_? How could a winter sports complex _not_ be a good idea? City Council is on board and they have public support and it would create a bunch of new jobs and everyone was going to love it.  

“Mr. Wyatt?” Karen, his secretary, repeats. He snaps out of his self-congratulatory reverie and smiles at the middle-aged woman with a severe hairdo. He’s pretty sure he caught her checking out his butt a few times - which is weird, because she’s like his mom’s age - but he _is_ the mayor. It’s kind of not his fault chicks are super digging that.

“Sorry, yeah - yes,” he clears his throat and squares his shoulders. “What can I do for you?”

“Your two-o-clock is here.”

“Oh,” he glances at his date book and remembers the appointment now. _L Knope_ is written in his sharp, angular writing. She’d called at the end of last week and asked if she might meet with him, apparently she was seventeen and a senior at some high school in Indiana. She isn’t the first who’s called to try and set up a meeting with him, but she is definitely the most… _persistent_.

“Right,” he clears his throat, remembering her bright, borderline-shrill tone now. “Give me a minute and send her in.”

Ben turns to the mirror as soon as Karen disappears, straightening his suit jacket and smoothing out his hair. He’s just returned to stand behind his desk when there’s another knock and the door opens a crack. First he sees Karen and then a flash of almost-white blonde hair in pigtails pushing passed her. The girl is tiny, with piercingly blue eyes that seem to take in everything all at once. She’s wearing faded black jeans and bright red converse sneakers.

She’s cute, though she definitely looks a little overwhelmed at just being there.

“Mr. Wyatt,” her small hand juts out expectantly. It’s pale and freckled with peachy pink nail polish. “It’s a pleasure to meet you; I’m Leslie Knope.”

“Yes, hello,” he clears his throat in a way he hope conveys his authority. “I’m Mayor Wyatt.”

“Thank you for meeting with me,” her cheeks color and he smirks. She’s cute. And it’s only been two weeks so it’s not like he’s gotten _a lot_ of mayoral action.

Okay, none. Yet. He’s been busy! He’s _The Mayor_ , he hasn’t gotten around to that.

“What, uh,” he gestures to the chair in front of his desk and maybe kind of totally checks out her butt as she ignores the seat and makes a beeline for his inauguration photo. Karen closes the door as she exits.

“I followed your campaign,” she states, dragging her finger across the edge of the wooden frame. She casts a little, uncertain smile over her shoulder, and Ben’s stomach clenches at the pout of her plump lips, sticky with gloss. They look soft. He swallows to keep his mouth from going dry.

“All the way from Indiana?” Because that’s impressive. He’s heard about people around the state taking notice, but Indiana is pretty far removed from small town Minnesota.

“Yes,” she turns to face him. “I like to keep abreast of local politics. I’m either going to major in poli sci or history next year at IU. Also, I’m from a small town too.”

“Right,” he licks his lips. “Well uh, what…can I do for you?”

“Oh!” she shuffles over and finally plunks herself down in the chair. “I’m writing a piece of the school newspaper about the importance of young adults being involved in local government, and I wanted to write it on you, because what…it’s pretty amazing, the interest you’ve taken in your town, and admirable and commendable and…”

Her cheeks grow even pinker and Ben smiles slightly at her, a little throb of need jolting to his cock.

“Uh, sure, of course, that…sounds…sure.”

“Should we get started?”

“Absolutely.”

*****

She’s totally flirting with him.

She’d already asked him what had made him want to run for office and what his strategy was for his campaign, scribbling every word he said down in big, loopy letters. Her mouth twitches with amusement and her eyes slant in his direction every so often.

“What’s your first order of business as mayor?”

“Well,” he cracks his knuckles. “Besides getting to know the members of my team, I’m planning to break ground on a winter sports complex. It will not only create jobs, but generate revenue for the city.”

“Wow,” she sounds impressed. “How long do you expect construction will take?”

“We’re hopeful it will be ready to open by next winter.”

“And you have room in your budget for this? That’s amazing. My mom works in the education department and she can’t even get approved for school buses due to budgetary constraints.”

“Huh,” he clucks his tongue. “Well, it’s different when you’re the mayor.”

“Right,” she smiles a little and bites her lip. “So, you’re not worried about that?”

“Well, I have advisors,” he clears his throat. “To advise me.”

Leslie Knope grins sideways. “Off the record, it’s really cool that you’re the mayor. I…I’m kind of jealous of you.”

“You uh, you know we’ve been here for a few hours actually and it’s…did you want to get out of here and maybe…go get some food or a…milkshake or something?”

“Oh!” he watches her swallow and a flush creeps up her neck. “Sure, actually. I didn’t really have any plans after.”

“You drove all the way to Partridge from Indiana to interview me for a school newspaper.”

“I um, you know,” she blushes. “I just really want to run for office one day and it’s amazing you did it at eighteen and…” she bites her lip in a way that suggests she doesn’t realize how sexy that is. “I wanted to meet you and pick your brain and…” she rubs her forehead.

“Well, then I should definitely…buy you a milkshake or something.”

“I’d like that,” she smiles softly and his heart flutters.

*****

Good lord, did she ever _stop_ talking?

“Are those…” Ben blinks across the table over his milkshake and stares at the spreadsheets in front of her. “Are those from my office?”

“You had two copies, I didn’t think you’d miss them.”

“So you just… _took them_?”

“You can have them back; I just wanted to look over your budget for Ice Town.”

“ _Why_?”

Leslie Knope stares at him like it’s a stupid question. Like stealing confidential paperwork from his office isn’t punishable by incarceration.

Wait, is it? It might be. He should look into that.

“Benji,” she leans forward and his skin prickles with annoyance at her earnestness. They’re supposed to be flirting, not talking shop.

“Ice Town sounds like a really great idea but um, what _did_ you budget for it?”

“What do you mean?”

Leslie’s eyes widen to the size of saucers. “I mean, for your _budget_. Because it seems a little…big and expensive, and did you look at the projected costs of these building materials? Because - ”

“Do you ever stop? Good lord,” he throws up his hands and Leslie sits back. “I’m the mayor, Leslie. I have advisors for this kind of stuff. I don’t need help from some kid from Indiana.”

The light behind her eyes fades and she slants them downward.

“I’m just trying to help - ”

“Well, stop! Just because you’re insane and could talk about this stuff every minute of every day doesn’t mean anyone else is!”

Leslie drains what’s left of her milkshake - strawberry.

“I should be going anyway.”

“Good. You’re kind of a pain in the ass.”

Now her blue eyes flash almost dangerously.

“And you might be the mayor but you’re sort of a jerk and I could do as good a job as you are!”  she spits back. “And also I wouldn’t even want to be famous for being mayor just because I was eighteen when I was elected! I want to be a famous mayor because I’m an amazing mayor and doing good things for my town! So….there!”

She’s gone in a flourish of her jacket, shoes stomping aggressively against the wooden floor. Ben sighs and orders himself another milkshake. So much for getting laid tonight.

*****

Leslie Knope is sitting on the curb beside the parking lot when he emerges from the diner a while later, chin in her hands, hair falling out of her pigtails.

Fuck, he knew he shouldn’t have taken her so out of town, even if it was for the best milkshakes in Partridge.

“Are you lost?”

“I haven’t seen a cab yet,” she stiffens at his voice.

“There won’t be any out here,” he sighs reluctantly. “Come on, I’ll drive you.”

She starts to explain herself - and her actions - as being helpful, but somehow they just start yelling at each other as soon as Ben pulls onto the main road.

She shouts the whole way through town and he shouts back sporadically, his ears ringing from the volume of her words and the pitch of her voice. She yells about how his advisors aren’t advising him well, how Ice Town seems too big for the tiny little budget surplus they had last year, how he’s ignoring her opinion because she’s a woman (he’s not, he’s ignoring it because she’s ridiculous), and how his whole team at City Hall is too apathetic to guide him properly. And _then,_ she cites several bills they’ve supported to prove her point (good lord, where did she even get that information?).

When he pulls into her motel his head is pounding and he just _needs_ silence.

So, for a reason he never imagined, Ben kisses Leslie in the front seat of his car. She tastes like milkshake and her tongue seems to be vibrating from all the words she’d been spewing out, but it’s blissfully silent after that.

Thank. God.

*****

Somehow they end up inside the motel, in front of her room, and she giggles - actually giggles - when he kisses her again. It’s sweet and light and makes the blood rush right to his cock, which is already straining against his pants. He presses her into the door, craning his neck, and kisses her harder, sliding his tongue passed her pink lips and flicking. They aren’t sticky with lip gloss anymore, but they’re soft and pliant and fit nicely against his. Her kisses are a little wet and sloppy, but it’s still a thousand times better than talking. Leslie pushes up onto her toes to kiss him deeper and Ben groans.

“Whoa,” she runs her fingers down his arms and Ben smirks in a way he probably has no right to, because too sloppy or not, he likes how Leslie Knope kisses. A lot.

“Can I come in?”  

His lips trail down her jaw and her fingers dig into his sides. Her nose crinkles adorably as she thinks it over. Ben reaches up a hand and drags his thumb along her jaw, feeling her sink against him.

“Okay.”

He grins, backing away long enough to let her open her door. The motel room is tiny at the cheapest place in town and not the greatest area, and for some reason that sends a little pang through him. She shouldn’t be sleeping here all alone.

She should sleep with him instead.

His lips land on hers again before she can say anymore words, because she’s said a lot of damn words tonight. Leslie squeaks, coming up to cup his face and sighing contently into his lips. She murmurs and he rubs her hips, backing her towards the bed.

*****

“Oh, um, it’s,” she pushes up onto her elbows, naked except for her blue bra, spread out on the sheets of her bed. They’d made out a little and he’d peppered a few kisses over her body before peeling off her panties and settling between her thighs. If she was going to make a lot of noise  he wanted her to make it this way.

And fuck, she tastes kind of incredible. He’s only done this a couple of times before, but Leslie Knope tastes like sunshine and rainbows and possibility and he probably would stay down there for a while if she let him.

“Have you…done this before?” She’s tugging her bottom lip with her teeth and Ben cocks an eyebrow.

“Uh, yeah.” _Like four times, and they never complained, so…_

“Oh,” her brow furrows as he laps at her again. “Just, because - ”

“Have _you_ done this before?”

Leslie’s face flames red. “No.”

“Just relax, baby,” he kisses her damp curls, fingers pushing into her and twisting and flicking frantically as his mouth finds her clit. Leslie slumps back on the pillow and covers her eyes with her hand. Faster and faster he moves and sucks, swallowing his own groans at the taste of her, until Leslie springs up again.

“That…that’s not working. Can you - ”

“Just trust me, I know what I’m doing. Girls like this - ”

“Well I don’t like it,” she doesn’t yell but she does push his face away from her. Ben growls, because he definitely wasn’t done and that’s definitely not how he’d imagined any of this ending. This day, this night, eating her out - none of it was supposed to go like this.

“Well, you’re weird then.”

“I guess so,” she slumps back with exasperation. “Just…get the condom.”

“Have you done _this_ before?” he calls, as he strokes himself a few times before sliding the condom on.

“Y-yes.”

Ben turns around and lifts an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yes,” she says more assertively. “So hurry up and get on with it.”

“God, you’re annoying.”

“Well it takes one to know one!”

He wants to banter back, but instead he kisses her hard, pining her to the mattress and sinking inside. Leslie whimpers against his tongue and her nails dig into his arms, limbs shaking around his.

_Crap_.

“Leslie?”

“I’m f-fine.”

Goddammit, she was lying, obviously. She’s so tight it feels like his cock is in a vice and every inch of her is trembling. What the hell, who lies about that? She really was a pain in the ass.

“Hey,” he manages to get out, even though every molecule in his body wants him to start moving. Her blue eyes are glassy and that quells the urge. He kisses her gently, for what reason, he’ll never know.

“Breathe,” he commands. She gives him a watery smile that makes him kiss her again as his hips start to rock. She inhales sharply.

She doesn’t come then either, and to be honest, when he finishes he’s kind of relieved it’s over. They lie beside each other silently for a few quiet minutes, not touching, before the yelling starts again.

It might be his fault this time.

“Good lord, you can’t _lie_ about stuff like that, Leslie.”

“I wasn’t lying! You’re lying!”

“What?”

“What?”  she scowls. “I wasn’t lying!”

“You think I can’t…tell?” 

“I WASN’T LYING!”

“Fine,” Ben snaps. He’s over this day, this night. “I’m going to go. I’ve had enough of this…shit.”

“Fine, go! Good luck with your stupid winter sports complex, Mr. Mayor!”

“THANK YOU!” he blasts as he shrugs into his clothes. He doesn’t look back at her as he grabs his keys and slams the door shut behind him.

*****

He doesn’t hear from Leslie Knope again. Not that he was expecting to. He thinks about her a few more times that weekend and wonders vaguely if she’s gone from Partridge yet, and then pushes her and their less-than-ideal (okay, kind of tragic) encounter out of his mind. He goes back to the office on Monday and starts working through the logistics of Ice Town, and they break ground before his first month in office is up.

A few weeks later the town is bankrupt and he’s impeached.

He thinks about her then. Thinks about how earnestly she’d tried to warn him, to insist the budget for the project was too large, to tell him his advisors weren’t advising him properly. He should’ve listened, in retrospect. Because, whether his advisors did a good job or not, the town had elected him and this was on him.

The unemployment rate skyrocketing to 30% is on him and nobody else.

He’s booed and hissed at for the first little while every time he steps out of his house. His parents start fighting again, Steph asks to change schools and he’s essentially a social pariah. He goes to visit Henry at college who, thankfully, lets him spend a few weeks there on his couch. They call around a bunch of different schools outside of Minnesota to see if there’s anywhere that has a spot for a failed teenage mayor despised by everyone for fall semester.

There is. At Indiana University.

He thinks of her then too.

And accepts the spot without hesitation.

*****

“Uh, hi.”

She’s there. Still blonde and still cute, pulling her lip between her teeth and staring thoughtfully at her class schedule. She seems to tense when he speaks and then her gaze darts up. She lifts an eyebrow.

“Hello,” she licks her lips. “How’s being mayor going? Still have all the money you could possibly want and everyone’s support?”

“Okay, I deserve that.”

He deserved a lot more actually. He’d yelled at her for having an opinion he didn’t like and then given her bad sex.

“Still thinking you know more about what girls like in bed than they do?”

Ben sighs and slumps in the seat across from her. “I deserve that too.”

Leslie studies him carefully. “What are you doing here?”

“I go here.”

Now, her eyes widen. “You go to IU?”

“I do, yes.”

“ _Why_?”

“I um,” he rubs his forehead. “I needed a reason to leave Minnesota and it’s a great school with a good business program, and they had a spot for me last minute…”

“You’re majoring in business?“

“I’m uh…” he swallows hard. “Trying to learn from past mistakes.”

“I see.”

“What did you decide on?”

“History.”

That makes him smile, even though his whole body is quivering with nerves. God, she really makes him nervous. She’s so smart already, she’ll probably be president one day or something.

Which, if that is the case, he _really_ needs to make amends.

“I’m…I’m so sorry, Leslie. I was an ass to you. I had no idea what I was doing as mayor or…” his cheeks tinge pink. “With you. I wanted to impress you or something.”

“I thought I was a pain in the ass.”

“Oh, you were,” he tamps down on a grin that threatens to appear. “But you were a right pain in the ass and I should’ve…listened to you.”

“Yes,” she swallows but somehow doesn’t look vindicated. “And I was probably…harsh too, so I’m sorry. I always want to do everything and everyone’s always telling me there’s not enough money, so…”

“And I’m sorry about that…being your…” he blushes, flashing to the night in bed. “Your first…because that sucked.”

“My best friend says they usually do. I’ve had better since.”

Okay, _ouch_.

He hangs his head because yes, he’d known it had totally sucked and it was probably mostly his fault, but he hasn’t won one in a while and…somehow hearing it from her stings more.

“Well, I…” she checks her watch. “I have Early US History in twenty minutes so I should go try and find my class.”

She stands and he latches onto her wrist like he needs it for something - needs her for something.

“I…can I buy you dinner or coffee or something? To apologize?”

Leslie hesitates.

“As friends. Just as friends, I swear, I uh,” Ben’s mouth is dry and his head’s kind of spinning. “I basically got run out of town and talking about it sucks and…I feel like you at least…sort of get it?”

“I…” again, she hesitates. “I don’t know, Benji - ”

“Ben.”

“What?”

“Ben…now, please.”

He’s still holding her wrist.

“Ben,” she smiles. “I’ll think about it.”

“Great,” he stands, still nervous, still overwhelmed by her. Which, if he’s being honest, he probably has been since the moment she came into that office. “Can I walk you to class while you think about it?”

She laughs, cutely and more certainly, and gives a little nod.

“Do you have class?” she queries as they stroll across campus. Ben nods and bites his lip, guiding her into the correct building and towards the room. Leslie stops.

“Wait, how did…”

“I’m…in this class too. I’m minoring in history.”

Her mouth pops open and Ben laughs softly.

“At least you found the room.”

Leslie doesn’t look amused, just runs her fingers through her hair.

“Okay.”

“Okay, I’ll have coffee with you. But no funny business.”

“After class? It’s my last one.”

She grins - _really grins -_ and leads them into a set of seats, second row from the front, giving his arm a little pat.

“I hope you know your stuff,  Mr. Mayor. I heard Tomlin calls on the front rows a lot.”

“I know my stuff,” it comes out cockier than he means it to, but Leslie smiles anyway and his chest tightens. Having a friend is nice, he could get used to this.

*****

Her pale neck stretches back as he slides his mouth down her skin.

“What happened to c-coffee between friends?” she babbles, hips slotted snugly against his in Ben’s narrow backseat. He’s not even sure how they ended up there at this point, but she feels _so good_. Better than last time, or he’s humble enough to appreciate the way her lips tug at his skin and how her little giggle rolls through him when his breath tickles her. Every nerve ending is firing, and it’s probably because it’s been a while since he’s had anything like this, but it’s mostly because of her.

“You kissed me, Knope.”

She cackles, because she totally did do that. In his car, about five minutes earlier when he was dropping her off at her dorm. One cup of coffee (hot chocolate for her) had been to apologize, the second had been to catch up and the third had still been them catching up - for two whole hours - while they both started to relax. Ben had told her everything, about Ice Town, being impeached, the unemployment rate, everything.

And she’d told him about her hometown - Pawnee, Indiana - and he’d listened finally. Listened to her passion and enthusiasm that he’d glossed over last time; listened to her need to make things better, her subtle hinting she had ambitions beyond city council or mayor. He listened to her and realized how fucking bad he had it and how much she was in his head.

It was the most honest discussion he’d had in a while.  

And then, after hours of platonic conversation, she’d grabbed his face and kissed him with all of that passion and enthusiasm and god, that was better. So much better than kissing her to shut her up had been. This was…

Too much, almost. She was too much. Everything he’d thought had annoyed him the first time was translating into their kissing and god, he just needed to slip under her skin and stay there. To crawl under the surface and burrow himself beneath everything that is Leslie Knope.

Ben sits back and evaluates the situation. He doesn’t want to fuck her in the backseat of his car. He might’ve a year ago, but not now. He stares at Leslie, cheeks flushed, collar speckled with small freckles, skin rubbed red in places and eyes wide and glassy, darting to the front of his pants with a smirk.

Fuck okay, she’s super sexy. He should have noticed that sooner.

“You’re beautiful,” he reaches for her hand and kisses her knuckles, mouth going dry at her amused expression.

“But still a pain in the ass?”

“Oh, totally,” he dips down and kisses her smile. “I don’t want to do this here though.”

Leslie sits up and flicks her tongue against his throat.

“My roommate has class now.”

Ben’s never moved so fast in his life.

*****

There’s a weirdly nondescript message on the whiteboard to her room and they’re down to their underwear almost as soon as they’re safely inside, her bright orange hipster panties and black bra emphasizing every curve and bit of pale skin. She bounces onto her bed, tugging him with her and cackling at the goofy face he’s obviously making. Her cackle is cute; he never heard it last time and now he needs a lot more of it.

Leslie yanks him on top of her, wrapping her short legs around him and rubbing against him so feverishly he almost comes like that.

“I have…there’s a box of condoms over…”

“I haven’t been with anyone since you.”

It comes out rushed and desperate and he doesn’t know why he’s telling her. Leslie blinks.

“Seriously?”

“Uh…” he sits back on his knees, dragging his fingertips over her thigh. “Yeah. It turns out failed teenage mayors are not…desirable.”

Her face softens and she reaches for his hand, thumbing the back of it.

“People make mistakes, Ben.”

He wonders how after he treated her, even with the apology, she’s so sweet. So genuinely, inexplicably sweet. He doesn’t deserve that.

“I made a lot,” he lifts her foot and kisses her ankle, gliding his lips wetly along her thigh. Her breath catches as he brushes against her panties, soft cotton damp. He groans.

“I’m not on the pill, so we need a…”

She trails off because he’s fixated, kissed along the inside of her thigh until his nose is pressed against her cunt. It’s like he remembered, only better. He feels like he has nothing, but this, the smell of her, the taste of her, that’s the only thing in his life worth clinging to in this moment.

“Ben,” she warns gently. She doesn’t want him to do it again and who could blame her, he sucks at it.

“Please?” he doesn’t mean to sound that undone but he needs - _needs_ \- to do this. He kisses her lightly through the cotton and delights in her stilted gasp. Had she done that last time? How had he not remembered that sound? That sound should be burned in his brain forever.

“Okay,” she touches his hair and finds his eyes. Ben presses his nose to her thigh and inhales deeply before peeling her panties away and tossing them to the floor.

“Go slow, alright?” her thumb traces the outline of his jaw and he kisses her palm before diving in. A few tentative laps, finger ghosting against her, make her moan, really moan, in a way that almost stops his heart. _Good lord._

With her permission (and patience) he dives in for more, going slow, just as she’d commanded.

Ben’s not rushing this time. He’s learned his lesson.


End file.
